OVER 90% ASYLUM SEEKERS NOT MOZAMBICAN

MALINDZA – While the perception is that the influx of asylum seekers at Malindza Refugee and Reception Centre consists of Mozambican nationals, that is not the case.

By the end of business on Thursday, there were 1 071 registered asylum seekers at the centre. Estate Manager Bongekile Mamba informed Deputy Prime Minister Thulsile Dladla yesterday morning that the majority of the asylum seekers were from countries such as Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.  She stated that the Malindza Refugee and Reception Centre is now home to 323 families, of which a meagre fewer than 15 were Mozambican natives. Mamba mentioned that these asylum seekers from Rwanda and Burundi were previously based in violence-stricken Mozambique.

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She highlighted to the Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) that 50 per cent did not wish to return to Mozambique, while 25 per cent were uncertain, and the remaining 25 per cent were willing to return as soon as the political violence subsided. “These families had businesses in Mozambique that were unfortunately destroyed during the violence.  ‘‘The nearest place away from the violence and pain was Eswatini,” she said.

Dladla encouraged the centre to offer counselling for the asylum seekers, as she personally felt optimistic that the situation in Mozambique would calm down. “What is happening in Mozambique is painful, especially after so much economic transformation. It is better that it is not war, as war displaces people permanently. We have great hope that the situation will normalise after January 15,” the DPM said.

Before the onset of the Mozambique uprising, there were only 137 asylum seekers at the Malindza Refugee and Reception Centre.  Meanwhile, Mozambique’s main opposition leader, Venâncio Mondlane, returned from self-exile on Thursday, claiming to have won a disputed October election that sparked months of protests against the long-ruling party FRELIMO and a violent crackdown by security forces.

As Mondlane stepped off a plane, security forces fired tear gas at hundreds of his supporters who had gathered near Mavalane International Airport in the capital, Maputo, to welcome him home. “I want to fight within this country, and I will, until the very end, keep fighting for this country,” Mondlane told reporters at the airport. “I’m not willing to accept election results if they are the same as those announced up until now.” allegations
Mondlane left the country in October, following an election clouded by allegations of rigging against the ruling FRELIMO party, which has been in power since Mozambique gained independence from Portugal in 1975.

Protests erupted after FRELIMO was declared the winner of the October 9 election. International rights groups report that at least 100 people have been killed by security forces, while some local groups put the death toll at more than 200. Mondlane had called for people to protest the results.
The opposition leader, aged 50, has stated that he left Mozambique fearing for his life after two senior members of his opposition party were killed in their car by unknown gunmen in a late-night shooting in Maputo, following the election.  One of the men killed was Mondlane’s lawyer and advisor, and their party described the killings as political assassinations.

On Thursday, police also blocked roads leading to the airport after Mondlane announced on social media earlier this week that he would return to the southern African country. Tear gas drifted over the airport and surrounding roads, and a helicopter hovered overhead. Mondlane expressed his willingness to enter into negotiations with FRELIMO to end months of unrest, which has disrupted the country of 33 million and at times brought it to a standstill.

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